Event Log: May, An Inauspicious Arrival

[faileas]

Event Log: May, An Inauspicious Arrival

I. Boaltinn (1st - 3rd) Boaltinn comes around again. A handful of Mirrorbound will remember the holiday from last year, but for others, it will be brand new. In both Residential Districts, bonfires burn in central locations through the night, frequented by the residents celebrating another summer come to Aefenglom. Curiously, while last year the bonfires seemed quite segregated by human or Monster, this year, there is more of a noticeable mix at each, and Mirrorbound are invited to join the games and festivities quite happily. Characters are invited to try and jump through the bonfire's flames to burn away any poor relationship experiences, be it romantic or platonic, past or present; to aid them in this, those at the Eastern Bonfire will give those participating rune-etched accessories to protect them from the fire. The city has quite a bit to offer for this holiday: shared rose baths at public bathhouses and pleasure establishments that increase feelings of friendliness and talkativeness, poles draped in ribbons meant to be danced around, wrapping a ribbon around the pole to bring good luck for the summer, food stalls whose offerings are meant to be shared, and fortune-telling set up by Divination students of the Coven, who can tell your day is going to go. To see last year's Boaltinn prompts, you can take a glance right here! Much of it, including the bonfires, baths, and entertainments will be similar this year, so feel free to use those in your top levels.

II. An Unusual Arrival (3rd on) A full year from the arrival of the first group of Mirrorbound, the 1st passes quietly, with no one showing up in the mirror-lined halls of the Looking-Glass House. Dates and times are important in most kinds of magic, and this is strange enough that some Witches of the Coven get together on the night of the 3rd to try a probing ritual, attempting to gather some kind of clues that could be useful in prying out the cottage's secrets. Boaltinn is the best time for such things, when the boundaries are thinner, and magic is stronger. Those who are awake that night at 3 am might notice a pulse of harmless silvery light that spreads like ripples on water throughout the whole city, originating at the Looking-Glass House, but nothing further happens, and the Coven receives no answers. Well, nothing happens in the Looking-Glass House. Before long, the reports start coming in: people are emerging from mirrors, regular old mundane mirrors, all over the city. Anything with a particularly reflective surface could be an entry point for someone from another world! Inhabited homes, businesses closed and locked for the night, pools of still water in fountains or the river, these unorthodox Mirrorbound pop up anywhere and everywhere, causing chaos for the City Guard (folks aren't happy to find strangers in their bathrooms at 3 in the morning) and the Coven both. Out of nowhere, a glint of light catches your eye; your heart thunders in your ears as your body moves on its own, your mind consumed with inspecting the source. Your reflection stares back at you, just as curious from the surface - a mirror, a pool of water, your most trusted sword, something fleeting that your mind can barely remember - then ripples at your touch. If you are one of these unfortunate arrivals, it's likely a rude awakening for you, to find yourself somewhere inconvenient, somewhere other than where you've been. It only makes sense to be confused. Hopefully someone finds you and explains to you what's happened to you. Resident Mirrorbound will hear a message from Miss Nessie shortly after it begins, a call to arms: "Dears, I'm quite sorry to disturb you, but it seems your fellows are arriving elsewhere than the Looking-Glass House this month! We're trying to track them all down for the usual welcome, but we could use a hand or several! If you could just bring them by the Coven, the usual spot, that would be lovely." She'll give her usual orientation and pass out Watches, but no doubt the Mirrorbound will be more helpful in this regard, with so many arriving.

III. The Goblin Market (All Month) Life goes on in Aefenglom, despite the addition of so many new residents. With the City Guard decidedly busy dealing with the sudden flood of break-ins (or, more accurately, break-outs?), the vendors of the Goblin Market find opportunity to set up their stalls more openly than they have since the crack-downs some months ago. They pop up all over the city, but clustered more often in the Residential Districts and the Harbor District, where there are even fewer law enforcement agents out and about to run them off. These sellers, while not as devoid of morals as those major players of the Black Market, still have very few compunctions when it comes to lying, cheating, fencing stolen goods, and misrepresenting their wares to unsuspecting buyers. It's also the place to find those things that are- not quite legal, shall we say. They won't say a word if you don't. If confronted, they are quick to pack up their things and slip away, however; they know this city and its hiding places a lot better than you do. With a brand new batch of what the natives assume are Mirrorbound, many undergoing rapid transformations into their Monster forms, many of the wares on display are potions: supposed cure-alls for aches and itches, calming draughts for the full moon restlessness, some even claim their brews can halt changes entirely! Some concoctions are meant to increase a Witch's magical ability, or decrease it, or provide them a finer control. They offer potions that they say will eliminate the need for a Bond, or temporary Bonding potions of their own that they claim are more pure, stronger, than the ones offered by the Coven. Claims are only claims, though. A few remedies for the pain of changing or some regular temporary Bonding potions can be found here and there, but for every potion that works, there are twenty more that have less than pleasant side effects. A brew that will cause everything you touch to turn to solid gold for up to an hour; a potion that will invert your sense of direction - trying to turn right will make you turn left, trying to go forward will cause you to walk backward; a potion that will remove all traction from your feet, causing you to slide around as if cobblestone are the slickest ice. Worse, some shadier vendors sell things more sinister, including a potion that gives you the appearance of being moderately to heavily infected by the Cwyld. Even if you don't drink any, the vendors are not at all careful where they're sloshing those bottles around, trying to show them off, and they all activate on skin contact.

IV. A Wilde Hunt (7th - 22nd) All Mirrorbound, temporary or not, are likely to feel it. Monsters are always affected by the full moons, but this month, it is more. Stronger. Instincts rise to the surface as the Sisters emerge full and visible in the night sky, and for many Mirrorbound, they are undergoing rapid transformations into whatever type of Monster they are meant to be. Curiously, the natives get along like they usually do, noticing nothing out of the norm, other than the increased agitation and restlessness from Mirrorbound Monsters. Monsters' aggression fades when the Sisters start to wane, but as the new moons approach on the 22nd, Mirrorbound Witches will notice their magical reserves overfilling, and will find themselves stricken with the overwhelming urge to use it, until casting spells, pushing one's magical limits, is almost a compulsion. Those who are not in proper Witch-Monster Bonds will feel it even stronger, with no stabilizing magic to consume (for Monsters) or avenues to expend magic (for Witches) other than casting spells. (For those who are interested, the Coven does offer temporary Bonding potions which can be used to help alleviate the effects somewhat.) The Coven Witches notice the signs, and they take decisive action on the morning of the 6th, the day before the full moons. So many Mirrorbound, likely to be so heavily affected by the lunar cycle this month, many of them coming into new features and abilities at a breakneck pace, only spells danger for the city. They barricade off a massive chunk of Wilde outside Aefenglom, largely free of Cwyld and totally bereft of farms, homes, and Wilder outposts. They invite anyone who feels the effects of the moons too strongly to control to come out for a Hunt. The hunting grounds will be open nightly to anyone who needs to work off restless energy or overflowing magic; all participants will be warned that their safety cannot be guaranteed from others, but they won't be able to harm bystanders out here. The woods are thick, with the river cutting through them, and full of wildlife. There is room to run and chase prey, or room to play with your developing magic. Play cat and mouse with your friends or Bondmates, or stalk a stranger. If playing games isn't your thing, there is something else to hunt out here as well. With the deep Wilde entering into Winter, this patch of land so close to the city is much warmer, and fearsome Shades have emerged to search for prey. These were once living beings, Monsters, Witches, or animals, who have been overtaken by Cwyld infection long ago, leaving them dead but for the infection, white-eyed and seeking out sources of magic to consume and infect. Anything could become a Shade, but the most common out right now are the ferocious remains of bears, wolves, and nomadic Arachne and Turnskins. If not killed, these Shades threaten the people of the Outer City, when they inevitably escape the barricade. Careful to limit your contact, though; anyone infected upon their return to the gates will be escorted straight to the infirmary.

Welcome to May's Fourth Wall event, An Inauspicious Arrival! The comms are now open to comments from all registered users and will be until June 1st. Current players, if you don't want fourth wall characters tagging your posts, just say so in your text. Fourth wall characters can use this post for their own network top-levels, or this post for log top levels. This event is game canon; threads from this fourth wall can be used as application samples later and current players may use these threads for AC. As always, be courteous to each other! Let the mod team know if there are any problems and we will handle things.

As always, please direct your questions to this thread!

Comments

ay nw my dude

[ua_duibhne]

[It's only as the nostalgia fades that he catches that subtle hint of uncertainty in her eyes. Better not to question it. Instead, he does his best to move on as swiftly- and gracefully- as possible, hoping that she won't feel too patronised.]

I'm certain that the knights of your own world serve their oaths with pride too. [A pause- and then he frowns slightly.] Ah... speaking of which, have you found anyone else from your homeland here?

[So much for not wanting to be patronising but he can't help it- she's clearly young and the thought that she might be alone bothers him.]

he prob washes his face with water as they do in his time.... tell him about the 10-step routine

[trost]

Isn't that a bit too much? [ All he has is a little scald, that he's certain will heal on its own given some time. Jean's definitely had way worse injuries than this. He fights giants, after all. He starts to wonder to himself how she even convinced them to let her take so many of their supplies. It's probably 'cause she's cute.

Though she is making up for her own mistake, she also doesn't have to go so far. It's easy to tell that she's quite kind. It's a little awkward letting a girl he doesn't know take his hand, but he allows it, sitting there compliantly as she administers the first aid. There's a small hiss in pain as the ointment is spread over the burn. ]

Thanks for this. [ Slightly awkward. ] I didn't know they stole magic too ... [ It's kind of pointless to make her start from scratch. ]

[liquidate]

Ah, like one of the hideout abominations? At least I'm used to this—I guess you are, too.

(used to being near-death and dying, that is.

pictured: marco chomping at tap water.)

Anyway, you took Orochimaru-sama and left with him and that little blonde girl you were babysitting. Something about a quest, or protecting Konoha... blah, blah, blah. Karin was so mad, as always. (this is what your goals mean to me, also they're stupid.) Guess I should dry off a little, maybe I can walk around. I had legs when I came through that mirror, so they'll probably pop up sooner or later.

i can grammar

[umbasa]

[Unsurprisingly, the limited stools and seating around the stand had cleared out pretty quickly after Gascoigne's arrival- which is why it actually startles him somewhat when he finds someone beside him. Not that you would be able to outwardly tell; his jaw tightens and the hand on his glass tenses but, removed from the madness of the hunt, he just about has the self control not to lash out.

A Crow. Birds descending on the already forsaken to clean up the carrion they leave behind. He's always thought there's something cruel about the title but there's honesty in it and the profession it suggests; as long as the hunt continues, there will be need of them. Furthermore, this particular hunter is known to him.]

Few drink because they enjoy it. [He pauses.] ... I'll buy you a round.

[trost]

'Ultimate', huh? Did you give yourself that name or did they really call you that? Kinda braggy.

[fairyherder]

[ he startles as his father rushes forward... that's... oh. okay then, someone he knows? a slender woman who, even if she's supporting herself on someone else's arm, still looks dignified and strong, gentle without looking harried.

it takes another few seconds before the name registers to him, and he freezes.

"A-Li"...?

of course he wouldn't know what names his father would have used for his family, but if he was as traditional as any other family, the answer is fairly natural. so he stares, distantly feels his fingers going slack around Suihua, hears it clatter to the ground but unable to move to retrieve it, feels his throat closing up, again, his vision blurring, and he doesn't even dare take a breath, lest the two people in the fountain will somehow disappear if he does. ]

[nodyinteam]

Heh. It does sound pretty conceited, doesn't it? It was a title given to me by Hope's Peak Academy. It's a school for youths who are considered the most talented... with matching titles! [He casually picks at his ear as he explains.]

[jichengren]

[ Yanli is confused and A-Ling is overcome with emotions again, but Zixuan couldn't be beaming any wider. He slides his arm around Yanli's back so that they're both facing Jin Ling standing outside the fountain. He honestly doesn't care that they're still standing in a foot of water. They may never get a chance like this again! ]

Look, A-Li! This in Jin Ling. This is our son.

[ Sure, in a minute he'll have to explain to his wife the fact that A-Ling grew up without them, but allow him to be happy in this one single moment.

He reaches down for the blanket still clutched in his wife's grip, holding it out for A-Ling to see. ]

This was yours! From your bedroom, when you were born.

[yesdoubt]

[Momo grins in greeting, but shakes his head at the second question. He's mostly keeping his eye on the Shade to make sure it doesn't do anything unexpected, just flicking his gaze back every few moments towards Sougo. The Shade stays fairly focused on Momo as the more "immediate" threat - it definitely seems aware Sougo is there, but is more intent on trying to claw Momo's face off through the barriers he continues neatly meeting it with right at the moment.]

Nah, we're out here for the same reason, right? Practicing? [He tilts his head towards where the fire Sougo just waved out was. He's assuming Sougo isn't secretly an arsonist who likes setting magical spot fires in random places outside the wall. The lack of fear is something Momo does note, but then again, he sounds pretty casual himself. Largely because he's fairly blase when it's his own life at risk more than anyone else's.]

If you want dibs on getting rid of it in a few minutes, though, you're welcome to help out, I still don't have all that much in the way of offensive magic.

[He does have his knife and a worrying lack of self-preservation, but if it'll help someone else out then he's happy to give Sougo the chance to practice knocking off a Shade in a somewhat controlled environment.]

[fullgauntlet]

[Well then-- Izuku might be making use of all these new magical abilities as best as he can with his quick thinking and analytical mind but there's one thing that he can't do like this. He can't fly.]

Kacchan!

[He grits his teeth as he feels magic start to build up painfully in his arms again. So all he can do it try to aim and shoot another crackle of lightning right at Katsuki. But his aim is off. He still can't control the flow of it quiet correctly.]

[enkidoh]

[It would not surprise Enkidu in the least if Ishtar would be hated by whatever that has summoned her. In fact, they must hate Enkidu as well, for plopping her right inside their apartment.]

This is not Uruk. Uruk is long gone. Humanity grew, useless goddess.

[The look on Enkidu's face is one full of disdain.]

Will you call upon your father again? Ask him to solve this problem? For you lack the ability to solve your own.

[apshot]

[ Katsuki, of course, laughs. ]

Nice aim!

[ He's better, of course. Katsuki can dodge that lightning easily. Wings are much easier to control than his own bursts crated by his quirk. Now he can sweep down, raining fire on top of Deku.

...And maybe closing off any means of escape. ]

[rootstalks]

[ If Yanli claimed to be second-best at reading a potentially fraught situation in her family, no one would claim to be first. Zixuan, beaming and proud, holding her close in that way that sends warmth singing through every part of her. The boy - A-Ling? Is he really? But he's so big, so handsome, a dashing young lord - looking at them with familiar eyes gone huge and suspiciously damp.

The impossibility of Jin Ling standing here is only beaten out by the impossibility that Zixuan would lie to her about this. ]

This is our A-Ling? [ How can this be, she wants to ask, but the contrast between their expressions is suddenly intolerable, and she opens her arms to Jin Ling with only a moment's hesitation. ]

goblin market

[lookslikeacinnamonroll]

[ Wen Ning is only looking at the-- whatever that is-- because he doesn't know what it is or what it's supposed to do. It's made of metal, so it's probably valuable, he's thinking? But it doesn't look like anything he recognizes. So when he's nudged, it breaks him out of his confused stupor somewhat. ]

--Huh? Oh, I... I don't know. I don't really have any money...

[cryptsleeper]

Not at all.

[The city is not that large and what lies beyond it is hardly safe. So there's no point in trying, there is only working to make sense of this particular situation.

Alucard can't hear as he used to. He misses that in moments like this, when closing off one sense did't seem to mute the others as well. He misses a lot suddenly, something he thought he had gotten over to a certain extent.

But no. One surprise is all that it takes to send him down a thoughtful and particular path. He opens his eyes, and turns to meet Maria's gaze. Hunger is not at the forefront of his mind, but getting away from the fire right now?

That'd be nice.]

Enough to consider what's being offered. Shall we?

[He'll let Maria pick a direction, but the way he tenses makes it clear he'd really, really love to get moving sooner rather than later.]

[trulygifted]

Yeah, I'm kinda worried about that too. It's why I was so glad to see you—I figured you might know where he is.

( Her brows knit into a frown as she pulls Dante's jacket a little closer around herself. )

He's gonna get himself into all sorts of trouble without me around to make sure he's properly geared up. Or to rescue him, for that matter!

( Nico likes to hide the depth of her fondness for Nero behind a tall wall of derisive sarcasm, which mostly manifests in cussing him out, suggesting he'd be useless without her weapons, and generally teasing him for all hours of the day. The truth? She cares for him like a brother, and concern has been churning up her stomach since she arrived here alone.

Well. Almost alone. )

I mean, who does he even think he is? Gettin' himself a fancy new normal arm, like it's gonna be better than my creations. How's he supposed to bust demon ass with one of these?

( Nico raises her own fist, which is significantly smaller and less, y'know, full of grandpa Sparda's blood than Nero's. )

[arturiarex]

[ His reassurance is rather welcome, although she still finds his form to be a bit strange. Even if she knows it's him underneath all of it. That same Felix who continues to remind her so much of her own knights, even if he isn't. At the moment he's simply very furry and much larger. Her wings flutter and then settle. Normally she's shorter than him in any case - now she's much shorter and has to tilt her head back to meet his gaze. ]

There is a strength to it. I feel... invigorated. Like I could conquer any foe that crosses my path.

[ She flexes a clawed hand for emphasis, the points glinting in the low light. ]

But there is also the sense that if I set my foot wrong I will lose control and go sliding down into something unpleasant. Do you feel that as well? As if we are balanced on a knife edge?

I'VE NO IDEA HOW HE'D ADDRESS HIS PARENTS BUT HEY...

[fairyherder]

[ "our A-Ling".

he swallows hard, unsure how to react, already exhausted from crying earlier, feeling as if his limbs aren't cooperating, like he's been trapped in a block of ice. this all can't be possible. it has to be a dream, some sort of hallucination, someone's playing a trick on him. meeting not just his father but his mother too? he's already in a strange place, already with ears and a tail for some sort of transformation, and his parents are too... whatever this is, he doesn't want to let go of this, doesn't want them to disappear into thin air, which is what he's the most afraid will happen.

he forces his legs to move, taking a halting, unsure step forward, because she's holding his arms out for him, but he doesn't get far as his legs give out and falls to his knees, barely catching himself against the bench with an arm, breath hitching because he doesn't want to cry again. ]

N-niang—?

[ no wait, how does he even address his parents, he doesn't... this isn't one of his uncles. this isn't the same informal feeling. it's different and he stumbles over the words, trying to find the right ones. ]

Fuqin... m... muqin...?

[shithogs]

[Attacking trees. That's a new one on her. Not the weirdest thing she's ever heard, but still.]

You really weren't kidding about not being able to trust the terrain.

[Not that she'd doubted. She takes care as she follows A2 through the trees, stepping lightly as she keeps an eye out for anything that might look suspicious underfoot. It's getting to be less of a struggle, seeing in the dark, but she still hasn't adjusted to the rhythm of being somewhere the sun actually rises and sets. Of everything she's been confronted with here, that's been one of the most unsettling changes. Monsters, magic, Shades? She can handle all that. Not so different from home, deep down.

She nods once as they progress, regardless of whether or not A2 looks back her way.]

We've got that in common, then.

[City life isn't for her, either, for her own host of reasons— but also habit, as much as anything else. She feels much more comfortable out here in the Wilde, dangerous as it is. She knows how to handle Shades better than people, regardless of their origin.]

Too busy for me. Part of why I came out here in the first place.

[jichengren]

[ As soon as Yanli is strong enough to step forward on her own, Zixuan leaves her side, stepping out of the fountain once more to stand on the other side of Jin Ling. He's become accustomed by now to his son's emotional responses, and doesn't blame him for not being able to handle this sudden appearance. It's a lot for Zixuan to take in as well. ]

Come, let's all sit together.

[ That way no one has to worry about trying to stand on legs that are giving out beneath them. If Zixuan has to be the strong, sensible one here, then he will. ]

[shithogs]

I don't need a goddamn Coven to tell me I'm a monster.

[The response is almost immediate, automatic, and yet as weary as it is angry. Some things she could figure out for herself, thanks— or in this case, it's something she's already known for a long, long time. She's come to terms with it, as much as a person can.

It becomes obvious as they walk that the shop she'd found herself in had been one of many. She can't remember ever seeing so many businesses all in one place— even in Facade, they were spread out, and most of those shops were little more than a hole in the wall. This place, whatever it is... it's nothing like anywhere she's ever been before now.

She huffs a breath, folding her arms as they walk in avain attempt to ward off the cool night air, her own swords safely stowed away on her back for now.]

So they take care of the 'Mirrorbound' in hopes that we'll protect their city for them. Who's to say they didn't bring us here themselves in the first place? That 'investigation' could easily be an act.

[shithogs]

[Wait a minute.]

You want to prove you're not a criminal by breaking into someplace to steal clothes?

[Just to make sure she's following that logic leap along with you, Ann. She laughs, however briefly, and shakes her head again as she crosses her arms.]

Screw them. They try to come after you, tell them to fuck off. You didn't do a goddamn thing.

[Also, she's not interested in changing.]

Talking to the locals isn't a bad idea, though— and if the two of us are in this situation, there has to be more.

[shithogs]

Good to know it's not just me.

[Without hesitation, she reaches for her weapon, gloved hand closing tightly around the hilt of her own sword as she tenses in wait. She doesn't see anything yet, but those heavy footfalls are moving closer, followed by the crack of a large branch— having broken from bearing considerable weight, she's guessing.

Well. They'd come here to hunt, and whatever it is that's approaching has decided to make that easy for them.

The sound of snuffling follows before the owner of those footfalls appears from within the brush— a large wolf with eyes that have faded to white from the Cwyld, evidence of the infection across its hide. It hesitates, only for a moment, before it turns in their direction, lured by the scent of magic, and before either of them can say anything more, it's hurtling towards them with a low growl caught in its throat, eager to find the source.]

[headshaking]

Changes...?

[ that's an interesting question. he can parse a little just from his observations: many people wandered this market looking demonic, with strange features more suiting to something loaded with resentful energy than to regular humans and cultivators, walking the streets. the whispers of 'monsters' were obvious.

so... that must be happening to jiang cheng.

well. he keeps that wide eyed, confused look on his face, tilting his head to the side. huaisang will let jiang cheng decide if he wants to tell him so. ] ...I don't think so. I feel the same as I did when I left home, if a bit more wet. Have you experienced something strange, Jiang-xiong...?

[shithogs]

Couldn't tell you if I wanted to.

[Well, not entirely true, but so little of their history has been passed down, so many things lost— even if she was the type to share, there's not a lot worth sharing. All any of them know is that there's not much 'world' left anymore, and even growing enough food to live on is a challenge.

The Shades were going to outnumber them sooner rather than later, anyway.

She pauses for a beat before going on to ask:]

What's the alternative? Potion stop working after you use it enough?